​Teaching and learning goes global with e-Education and research networks

The Challenge

Enabling students and teachers across the world to embrace new ways of learning through e-Education. From interactive teaching materials to videoconferencing and tablet computers in the classroom, it is changing how students and pupils learn and work together.

Global collaboration between schools and colleges thousands of miles apart helps bridge the digital divide. Today’s ‘digital native’ students expect e-Education to be at the heart of their experience, teaching new skills that are vital for their futures.

The Solution

Research and education networks are working together to provide schools with reliable, cost-effective and high capacity links that allow real-time, interactive collaborations between students thousands of miles apart.

School collaborations rely on the reach, capacity and reliability of research and education (R&E) networks, such as GÉANT in Europe and in-country National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) such as Internet2 in the USA and CARNet in Croatia. They provide the guaranteed bandwidth required for technologies such as real-time videoconferencing, as well as the training and support schools need to connect simply and cost-effectively to each other.

Key Benefits

Pupils are widening their understanding of other cultures, enriching the learning experience and mastering vital new skills through interactive communications delivered by e-Education technology and research networks

“Research and education (R&E) networks around the world are crucial for supporting international collaborations. I have experienced this first hand, through working with a number of the networks around the world, for individual school to school projects, with NYSERNet, Janet, and the London Borough of Redbridge, as well as large multipoint collaborations involving many network connections. R&E networks provide the infrastructure needed by education establishments to communicate with each other over a secure (e-safe) and interoperable environment – one that is especially required for videoconferencing connections. With R&E networks we are able to connect easily and safely to deliver content and partnerships around the globe.” Mina Patel, Video Conferencing for Learning, London Borough of Redbridge, UK

 

​More information:
​GÉANT: www.geant.net JANET: www.ja.net NYSERNET: www.nysernet.org Internet2: www.internet2.edu CARNet: www.carnet.hr/en For case studies about school use of VC: www.vcfl.net